Obama Doubles Down On Iranian Nuke Deal
“Let’s not mince words: The choice we face is ultimately between diplomacy and some sort of war — maybe not tomorrow, maybe not three months from now, but soon,” President Barack Obama told roughly 200 people in his speech at American University.
The president used the speech to scorn most of the critics of his pending deal with Iran.
In fact, the hour-long speech was less of a defense of the Iran nuclear deal and more of an attack on his political opponents.
The speech included his usual exercise in treachery and demagoguery, but this time he essentially accused opponents of the deal – a majority of Americans – of treason.
After reminiscing on the Cold War and an attempt to align himself with President John F. Kennedy, Obama immediately alluded to the portion of the Jewish community that opposes his deal.
“Between now and the congressional vote in September, you’re going to hear a lot of arguments against this deal, backed by tens of millions of dollars in advertising.” Obama clearly resents the opposition from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) and the resources it has dedicated to opposing the deal.
Next, Obama played on the public’s fear of war by relating this issue to the climate that led to the war in Iraq over a decade ago. The president said opponents of his deal are the same people who created that “drumbeat of war.”
“Many of the same people who argued for the war in Iraq are now making the case against the Iran nuclear deal,” Obama said in his speech.
He conveniently failed to acknowledge certain people who argued for the war in Iraq who are now making the case in favor of the Iran deal.
For example, John Kerry and Hillary Clinton have reaffirmed their support for the Iran nuclear deal. If Obama is not ignorant of the relevant history himself, he prefers to exploit the ignorance of his audience.
Throughout the speech, the president took his usual “blame America” approach.
“I recognize that resorting to force may be tempting in the face of rhetoric and behavior that emanates from some parts of Iran,” the president said of the anti-American sentiments in that region. “It is offensive. It is incendiary. We do take it seriously. But superpowers should not act impulsively in response to taunts. Or even provocations that can be addressed short of war.”
